Grant Imahara, the electrical engineer and roboticist who rose to fame as a host of the show “MythBusters,” died Monday at the age of 49, according to Discovery Channel.
Grant Imahara, the electrical engineer and roboticist who rose to fame as a host of the show “MythBusters,” died Monday at the age of 49, according to Discovery Channel.
In a Monday night statement, Discovery confirmed the death of Imahara, an enthusiastic influence in the popular science world best known for building robots and operating electronics on the hit show for a decade.
“We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Grant. He was an important part of our Discovery family and a really wonderful man,” the statement said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
A cause of death was not immediately released by the company. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Imahara died of a brain aneurysm.
Imahara joined “MythBusters” in its third season in 2005 after an invitation from host Jamie Hyneman. For more than 200 episodes, Imahara, lovingly referred to as the “geek” of the show’s build team, wowed audiences by bringing tech to life through his ability to design and operate complex robotics that helped test myths in subjects ranging from skydiving to driving stunt cars.
On social media, colleagues and friends were devastated over the engineer’s sudden death.
Adam Savage, a former co-host who also worked with Imahara at Lucasfilm, said he had “been part of two big families of Grant Imahara over the last 22 years,” and that he was honored to call him a friend.
